In U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,104 issued on May 29, 1984, in the name of the inventor hereof and Sten E. Hodgson, to assignee hereof, and incorporated herein and made a part hereof by this reference, there is disclosed a device which is adapted for splicing together electrical drop wires. The device comprises: (a) a housing having a passage extending longitudinally therethrough, (b) a partition dividing such passage into two longitudinal through channels having laterally-inner walls provided by the partition and laterally-outer ramp walls at an acute angle to such inner walls so that the channels have respective wide openings at longitudinally opposite ends of the passage, and respective narrow openings at their other ends, (c) a pair of electrical connector members embedded in the partition and each having opposite ends projecting into respective ones of the two channels to provide therein respective terminals at an acute angle towards the channels' wide openings greater than that of the ramp walls, and (d) a pair of wedges drivable into the wide openings of the channels after drop wires have been inserted into the channels' narrow openings to extend past the terminals therein. In the use of the device, the wedges being driven into the channels first press the inserted wires against the terminals to cause the latter to pierce the wire insulation and electrically contact the wire cores therein. After the terminals have fully entered the drop wires, the wedges are driven further into the channels to squeeze the drop wires between the inner walls of the channels and the inner sides of the wedges to the end of securing the wires in the device so that the wires will not be drawn out of the device when pulling force is exerted on the wires.
While the wire splicing device just described is satisfactory in many respects, it has certain disadvantages of which an explanation of one is as follows.
In the course of driving the wedges into the channels, the wedges are constrained in their movements therein to follow the mentioned acute angle of the ramp walls. That is, the longitudinal and lateral displacements of the wedges in the channels will be in the same ratio as the longitudinal and lateral vector components of such acute angle. On the other hand, when the inserted drop wires are pressed by the wedges against the terminals, if these terminals are to pierce the wire insulation without tearing it, the longitudinal and lateral displacements of the drop wires must follow the acute angle which is made by the terminals and which, as stated, is greater than that of the ramp walls. In order to so follow such greater acute angle, longitudinal slip must occur between the drop wires and the wedge's inner sides which press against the wires. These inner sides, however, are disclosed in the mentioned '104 patent as having longitudinal distributions of teeth which are provided to prevent withdrawal of the wedges. Those teeth during the wire-against-terminal pressing phase bite into the insulation of the inserted drop wires. As a result, the wedges cannot readily slip longitudinally relative to the drop wires so as to permit them, when being pressed against the terminals, to follow the acute angles of those terminals. Hence, there is a tendency, during the entry of the terminals into the wires, for the wedges to longitudinally drag the drop wires along with them so as to cause the terminals to tear the wire insulation.
Moreover, after the terminals have fully entered the wires and the wedges are now squeezing the wires between themselves and the inner walls of the channels, such dragging tendency persists so as to produce the likelihood of further tearing of the wire insulation by the terminals.